Tigers kill man who scaled zoo fence

Copenhagen - A man was killed by tigers at a zoo on Wednesday after he scaled a fence and crossed a moat to get into their enclosure in the Danish capital Copenhagen, police said.

The man, in his early 20s, was savaged by three tigers after he broke into Copenhagen Zoo in the early hours. He was dead when staff arrived for work.

"We received an emergency call at about 07:30 that a person had been found lying in the tiger pen and that three tigers were surrounding that person," police Superintendent Lars Borg said.

"The tigers attacked him and killed him. It is likely that a bite to the throat was the primary reason for his death," Borg said.

Police said the man, who had not yet been identified, may have entered the enclosure as a way of committing suicide.

They said he was not Danish but his nationality was not yet known. He had a Denmark resident's permit.

Psychologists have been called to the zoo to talk to staff who found the body, the zoo's chief executive Steffen Straede said.

Comments

Tony - 2012-07-11 15:22

Maybe I need a tiger inside my fence?

leoa.martins - 2012-07-11 16:23

He got exactly what he deserved!!! Hopefully they won't put the tiger down now due to human stupidity.

antin.herinck - 2012-07-11 16:49

It is likely that a bite to the throat was the primary reason for his death," Borg said.
Wrong!
His advanced mental retardation did him in.
Breaking into the tigers' pen?
Sure candidate for the Darwin's Award (Special Merit).

delish7564 - 2012-07-11 19:02

Who knows the real reason why he did it, but the outcome was more or less guaranteed.

badballie - 2012-07-12 10:40

suicide by proxy, this will become a more common event as people who have always been able to get by suddenly get faced with the fact that their incomes no longer maintain even a low standard of living.

badballie - 2012-07-12 10:46

The predicted increase in suicides worldwide is starting to leave a clearly seen pattern which will only increase as more and more people suddenly realize that the salary they earn can not longer support even the most basic of living standards.

patsy.smith.125 - 2012-09-22 11:33

If I were a tiger in a cage, I'd also kill any two-legged creature which came near enough to grab. I hope the tiger isn't made to pay for a man's idiocy.